Downtown needs ideas and volunteers, Henninger senior writes

Precious Allen, a senior at Henninger High School, wrote the following for Voices. For more on downtown Syracuse, check out the CNY-Speaks blog.

The area of Syracuse most in need of change is downtown.

It's not just my opinion. It's also the thought of several other city residents I've asked.

First, we need to fill the empty buildings downtown. Maybe office space could be filled by a few small businesses. A nice family restaurant to have warm meals and another clothing store would be good. More after-school programs downtown would keep kids out of trouble.

We have many great cultural events, festivals and other activities downtown. We may need more and cheaper parking spaces to help downtown businesses and festivals succeed.

A new hotel downtown could provide jobs for people. A good-looking hotel would attract tourists, of course, but also businesses, which could use its rooms to hold meetings.

Another bright idea to bring tourists in is to clean up downtown itself. High school students who need volunteer hours and others who care about our community can organize cleanups. Maybe we can ask construction workers to donate some time to remodel and renovate run-down buildings.

To make downtown more appealing to teenagers, the bus system needs to change. Centro is a great in that it provides transportation, but why don't buses arrive on time? The booth downtown should be open a little longer due to the people who do not know how to read the schedules. Also, people need places to sit downtown when waiting for their buses to arrive. And the bus fares need to remain low.

If we the people of Syracuse step up and take part in our community, we can overcome our city's problems. Maybe a small helping hand from us can make a difference. And maybe we'll inspire others to do the same.